Wenger sweats as crocked Oxlade-Chamberlain could be out for SIX months

Arsene Wenger was sweating on Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's fitness, fearing the forward could miss up to six months with a serious knee injury.

The England international was involved in a nasty collision with Aston Villa defender Antonio Luna during Arsenal's disappointing 3-1 defeat.

Oxlade-Chamberlain left the Emirates Stadium on crutches on Saturday night, leaving Wenger fearing the worst as he prepares for Wednesday's crucial Champions League qualifier in Fenerbache.

VIDEO Scroll down to watch Arsene: Defeat is a big disappointment

Ouch: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was carried off after a collision during Arsenal's match against Aston Villa

'He is out, definitely out [for the Fenerbache clash],' said Wenger.

'It's a knee problem. It's a bad injury.'

The 20-year-old underwent a scan yesterday as Gunners medical chiefs assessed the damaged caused to his left knee.

And
the initial results suggest Oxlade-Cahmberlain has suffered serious
ligament damage, which doctors fear could keep him out of action for as
long as six months.

Agony: Oxlade-Chamberlain was clearly in a lot of pain as he lay on the turf at the Emirates

Oxlade-Chamberlain will undergo a secondary scan today to get a definitive diagnosis on the injury.Wenger - and England manager Roy Hodgson - will be hoping for some better news after today's second scan results.

But
it is looking increasingly likely the former Southampton star is facing
a lengthy spell on the treatment table as Arsenal's injury problems go
from bad to worse.

Wenger
is facing up to the prospect of having just EIGHT fully-fit senior
outfield players for the trip to Fenerbache after the disastrous opening
day defeat to Villa.

In
addition to Oxlade-Chamberlain; Bacary Sagna, Kieran Gibbs, Tomas
Rosicky and Aaron Ramsey are all doubts after picking up injuries at the
weekend.

In action: The Arsenal winger tries to nip round Villa's Karim El Ahmadi before he was injured

Thomas Vermaelen, Nacho Monreal, Mikel Arteta and Abou Diaby are already confirmed to miss the the midweek clash through injury.

Sagna,
who will continue to be assessed ahead of the trip to Turkey, is
Wenger's biggest doubt after falling awkwardly on his neck during the
defeat to Paul Lambert's side.

'It's bad, yes,' admitted Wenger, when asked about the extent of the right-back's injury.

'He has a good chance to be out for Wednesday.'

Chances: Oxlade-Chamberlain will miss England's qualifiers in September

Gibbs
was came off after just 29 minutes of the clash against Villa after
sustaining a nasty facial wound in an aerial collision with Andreas
Weimann, while Rosicky (knee) and Ramsey (ankle) picked up worrying
knocks during the encounter.

On
Rosicky, Wenger added: 'He was quite sharp against Aston Villa, so we
cannot afford to lose him at the moment, because [Santi Cazorla is
behind physically so he is not ready.

'Yes, we are short for Wednesday, but we can only play with the players we have.'

He
added: 'The difficulty is not to let the mood drop after such a
disappointing start. But we’ll bounce back, because the spirit and the
focus in the team is good.

'But I don’t deny the defeat to Aston Villa is a massive disappointment for us.'